Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1179-1202 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Research in Science Teaching |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 4 May 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Sept 2021 |
Abstract
Nowadays, citizens collaborate increasingly with scientists in citizen science (CS) projects on environmental issues. CS projects often have educational goals and aim to increase citizens' knowledge with the ultimate goal of fostering positive attitudes toward science. To date, little is known about the extent to which CS projects strengthen the positive interrelationship between knowledge and attitudes. Based on previous research, it has been suggested that the knowledge–attitude relationship could be further examined by focusing on different aspects: (1) different attitudinal domains, (2) topic-specific knowledge, and (3) its direction. Our study contributes to the clarification of the interrelation between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science within the specific domain of urban wildlife ecology using cross-lagged panel analyses. We collected survey data on five attitudinal domains, topic-specific knowledge, scientific reasoning abilities, and epistemological beliefs from N = 303 participants before and after they participated in a CS project on urban wildlife ecology. Participants collected and analyzed data on terrestrial mammals in a German metropolitan city. Our results provide evidence for the relationship between knowledge and attitudes due to the topic-specificity of knowledge in CS projects (e.g., wildlife ecology). Our method provided a rigorous assessment of the direction of the knowledge–attitude relationship and showed that topic-specific knowledge was a predictor of more positive attitudes toward science.
Keywords
- attitudes, cross-lagged panel analysis, informal science, science literacy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Education
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In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 58, No. 8, 13.09.2021, p. 1179-1202.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - To know about science is to love it? Unraveling cause-effect relationships between knowledge and attitudes toward science in citizen science on urban wildlife ecology
AU - Bruckermann, Till
AU - Greving, Hannah
AU - Schumann, Anke
AU - Stillfried, Milena
AU - Börner, Konstantin
AU - Kimmig, Sophia
AU - Hagen, Robert
AU - Brandt, Miriam
AU - Harms, Ute
N1 - Funding Information: This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (grant numbers 01|O1725, 01|O1727, 01|O1728). The funding source was involved neither in conducting the research nor in preparing the article. We want to thank Gráinne Newcombe for language review. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
PY - 2021/9/13
Y1 - 2021/9/13
N2 - Nowadays, citizens collaborate increasingly with scientists in citizen science (CS) projects on environmental issues. CS projects often have educational goals and aim to increase citizens' knowledge with the ultimate goal of fostering positive attitudes toward science. To date, little is known about the extent to which CS projects strengthen the positive interrelationship between knowledge and attitudes. Based on previous research, it has been suggested that the knowledge–attitude relationship could be further examined by focusing on different aspects: (1) different attitudinal domains, (2) topic-specific knowledge, and (3) its direction. Our study contributes to the clarification of the interrelation between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science within the specific domain of urban wildlife ecology using cross-lagged panel analyses. We collected survey data on five attitudinal domains, topic-specific knowledge, scientific reasoning abilities, and epistemological beliefs from N = 303 participants before and after they participated in a CS project on urban wildlife ecology. Participants collected and analyzed data on terrestrial mammals in a German metropolitan city. Our results provide evidence for the relationship between knowledge and attitudes due to the topic-specificity of knowledge in CS projects (e.g., wildlife ecology). Our method provided a rigorous assessment of the direction of the knowledge–attitude relationship and showed that topic-specific knowledge was a predictor of more positive attitudes toward science.
AB - Nowadays, citizens collaborate increasingly with scientists in citizen science (CS) projects on environmental issues. CS projects often have educational goals and aim to increase citizens' knowledge with the ultimate goal of fostering positive attitudes toward science. To date, little is known about the extent to which CS projects strengthen the positive interrelationship between knowledge and attitudes. Based on previous research, it has been suggested that the knowledge–attitude relationship could be further examined by focusing on different aspects: (1) different attitudinal domains, (2) topic-specific knowledge, and (3) its direction. Our study contributes to the clarification of the interrelation between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science within the specific domain of urban wildlife ecology using cross-lagged panel analyses. We collected survey data on five attitudinal domains, topic-specific knowledge, scientific reasoning abilities, and epistemological beliefs from N = 303 participants before and after they participated in a CS project on urban wildlife ecology. Participants collected and analyzed data on terrestrial mammals in a German metropolitan city. Our results provide evidence for the relationship between knowledge and attitudes due to the topic-specificity of knowledge in CS projects (e.g., wildlife ecology). Our method provided a rigorous assessment of the direction of the knowledge–attitude relationship and showed that topic-specific knowledge was a predictor of more positive attitudes toward science.
KW - attitudes
KW - cross-lagged panel analysis
KW - informal science
KW - science literacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105091902&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/tea.21697
DO - 10.1002/tea.21697
M3 - Article
VL - 58
SP - 1179
EP - 1202
JO - Journal of Research in Science Teaching
JF - Journal of Research in Science Teaching
SN - 0022-4308
IS - 8
ER -